These cupcakes are a creepy delight. No eating just the icing here, the cupcake and icing are equally flavorful. Made with pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and topped with a dark icing. Serve these at your next Halloween party, Día de los Muertos celebration, or monster themed birthday.

Jesse Bluma at Point Viven liberates taste in cookery, culture, and community, provides gourmet goods made with organic ingredients, inspired by the culinary worlds of California, Central, and South America, and engages in a community of customers and readers with lifestyle content, reviews, and expertise. Use and redistribution of original content allowed only with explicit permission of site owner and author.

Chris Ryff is a fraternity brother of mine, from the the Epsilon Xi chapter. Although I don't know Chris personally and we were not in the same chapter together, I heard about his story. Chris' health is not good. "Chris Ryff is a father of a 2 year old boy, a devoted husband, a much loved son, a loyal brother and a good friend to so many. He is also fighting a battle against stage IV breast cancer in which time is not on his side. Chris has identified a potentially life saving treatment called Personalized Gene Targeted Therapy at the Burzynski Clinic http://www.burzynskiclinic.com/ in Texas, which he believes is his best option at this stage of the disease. We estimate that the cost of treatments, travel to the clinic and lost wages during this time could be around $60,000."

Please visit the Chris Ryff blog for more information and to donate. If you choose the WePay donation link from his blog page you will first need to register with WePay and confirm your registration via an email from WePay. Then on his donation page type in the dollar amount, don't try to delete or backspace the preset zeroes.

Jesse Bluma at Point Viven liberates taste in cookery, culture, and community, provides gourmet goods made with organic ingredients, inspired by the culinary worlds of California, Central, and South America, and engages in a community of customers and readers with lifestyle content, reviews, and expertise. Use and redistribution of original content allowed only with explicit permission of site owner and author.

*Update: I was sadly told Asada is no more. The owners have opened a new concept called Reunion Kitchen + Drink.

"Asada friends and family. Thank you so much for your continued support and patronage of our restaurant. As many of you may know we will be closing our Laguna Beach location in the coming weeks. We have been in a continual dispute with our landlord and we will be moving the business. Although we are saddened to leave this building we believe that our guests and friends will be happy when we secure our new location."

Below is my review of what was Asada Laguna...

Asada translates to grilled or roasted, as many items you will find on the menu. “We bring you the classic flavors of Mexico along with a few innovative new surprises. Our menu selections are a blend of traditional with modern and are always made from scratch from the freshest ingredients. Pair your entrée with a selection from our extensive collection of refreshing cocktails, from tequila to margaritas and cervezas. Asada Laguna is a Mexican Steakhouse and Tequila Bar in the heart of beautiful downtown Laguna Beach. We offer California/Mexican cuisine, USDA Prime steaks, fresh local seafood, along with sandwiches, salads and snacks. Our festive Tequila Bar offers unique margaritas, tequila flights and homemade sangrias and hand selected wine collection. The restaurant is a unique blend of contemporary style and fun with

beautiful ocean views.”--asadalaguna.com

My Recommendations

1. Asada Laguna can get busy at night and weekends. Go for lunch or make a reservation.

2. Parking is located on the street . Bring money for parking. If parking on the street, be careful of the high curbs.

3. After your meal you may wish to replenish your time on the parking meter and take a short walk over to Main Beach or to the shops on Forest Avenue.

Jesse Bluma at Point Viven liberates taste in cookery, culture, and community, provides gourmet goods made with organic ingredients, inspired by the culinary worlds of California, Central, and South America, and engages in a community of customers and readers with lifestyle content, reviews, and expertise. Use and redistribution of original content allowed only with explicit permission of site owner and author.

Spooky goodies for that perfect Halloween party. Crunch the pretzel bones between your teeth. Gnaw on the marshmallow ends. Then pop a candy eyeball in your mouth. These sweet and salty treats are dusted with clear sparkles and made with vanilla flavor candy coating. Enjoy autumn or any season while you dine on the bones and eyes balls of brujos, the trickster male witches of Argentina.

Jesse Bluma at Point Viven liberates taste in cookery, culture, and community, provides gourmet goods made with organic ingredients, inspired by the culinary worlds of California, Central, and South America, and engages in a community of customers and readers with lifestyle content, reviews, and expertise. Use and redistribution of original content allowed only with explicit permission of site owner and author.

Danny Boome: Former professional hockey player in Great Britain, chef, and face of theanti-drugcampaign in the United Kingdom. About two years ago I talked with Danny Boome about his cooking classes. He was just as genuine as he is on TV. He was also nice enough to throw me some kudos for my winning black cherry-mint cocktail. You may have caught Chef Danny Boome on The Chew, reporting on cooking, entertaining, food trends, restaurants, and holidays. You might also remember Boome as the Food Network’s Rescue Chef. Recipe Rehab is his latest show on ABC. The show originated on YouTube, where "celebrity and acclaimed chefs, including Laura Vitale, Jet Tila and Aida Mollenkamp compete in a head-to-head challenge to recreate a family-favorite dish, but with a healthy twist!"

Jesse Bluma at Point Viven liberates taste in cookery, culture, and community, provides gourmet goods made with organic ingredients, inspired by the culinary worlds of California, Central, and South America, and engages in a community of customers and readers with lifestyle content, reviews, and expertise. Use and redistribution of original content allowed only with explicit permission of site owner and author.

Jesse Bluma at Point Viven liberates taste in cookery, culture, and community, provides gourmet goods made with organic ingredients, inspired by the culinary worlds of California, Central, and South America, and engages in a community of customers and readers with lifestyle content, reviews, and expertise. Use and redistribution of original content allowed only with explicit permission of site owner and author.

My Aunt Rosemary recently sent me a jar of chow chow from Betha’s Best Home Canned Goods. Betha’s kitchen is near Waxahachie, Texas and about 30 miles south of Dallas. My aunt also sent me one of Betha’s jellies, something I have used on pancakes and lots of other things. After tasting the chow chow from Betha I got the idea to make these sandwiches for Labor Day at the beach. Flavorful, light, yet satisfying. These sandwiches were a hit.

Jesse Bluma at Point Viven liberates taste in cookery, culture, and community, provides gourmet goods made with organic ingredients, inspired by the culinary worlds of California, Central, and South America, and engages in a community of customers and readers with lifestyle content, reviews, and expertise. Use and redistribution of original content allowed only with explicit permission of site owner and author.

A savory pie with slices of avocado, yellow chili peppers, and cherry tomatoes. I was inspired to create this pie by a trip I took to Costa Rica, where I learned about the culture and cuisine of the country. This is a filled pie made with pate brisee crust. A great treat for breakfast, brunch, and parties. A real crowd pleaser at the Good Food Pie Contest.

Jesse Bluma at Point Viven liberates taste in cookery, culture, and community, provides gourmet goods made with organic ingredients, inspired by the culinary worlds of California, Central, and South America, and engages in a community of customers and readers with lifestyle content, reviews, and expertise. Use and redistribution of original content allowed only with explicit permission of site owner and author.

This summer I worked on a few recipes to enter into this pie contest. My Aunt May used to make the best pies, from rhubarb to sour cherry--my favorite! I'll be entering a pie for each of the contest categories, including cream, fruit, Metropolis II inspired (Chris Burden's toy-car megalopolis project), nut, and savory. The event is free and open to the public. Come out and taste my pies and let me know if you are coming so I am sure to look for you.

"Join KCRW for the Annual Good Food Pie Contest. Home cooks and professionals alike will be judged by some of LA's best chefs and food writers. Cheer on the competitors, or just enjoy a slice.

Parking: Park in the Pritzker Parking Garage, on Sixth Street just east of Fairfax Avenue. The charge is $10 and may be prepaid at all Welcome Centers, with credit cards accepted.

Good Food's own Evan Kleiman will preside over the afternoon pie festivities which will include music provided by a KCRW DJ, pie tasting, and much more! Patina will offer food and beverages for sale on the half moon terrace adjacent to the pie contest from 11:30am to 4pm. Come spend the day at LACMA and grab some picnic fare before or after you taste the pies! For pie tasting, guests are asked to find the KCRW Welcome Table in Hancock Park just north of the Ahmanson Building for one free pie tasting ticket. Tickets are limited based on the number of entries and will be given to guests on a first come, first served basis. *Anyone wearing an apron to LACMA on Saturday, September 8th will gain free admission to the museum.

Follow up...The competition was a great adventure. I got to meet many of the other bakers, a lot of the public attending, and serve up all my pies. The first pie to be gobbled up was my Costa Rican savory pie. A few photos from that day below.

Jesse Bluma at Point Viven liberates taste in cookery, culture, and community, provides gourmet goods made with organic ingredients, inspired by the culinary worlds of California, Central, and South America, and engages in a community of customers and readers with lifestyle content, reviews, and expertise. Use and redistribution of original content allowed only with explicit permission of site owner and author.

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Jesse Bluma at PointeViven

Jesse Bluma at Point Viven liberates taste in cookery, culture, and community, provides gourmet goods made with organic ingredients, inspired by the culinary worlds of California, Central, and South America, and engages in a community of customers and readers with lifestyle content, reviews, and expertise. Use and redistribution of original content allowed only with explicit permission of site owner and author.